‘Forgotten generation’ seeks chances abroad

Milan may be Italy’s capital of fashion and business, but many young people are seeing emigration as their only option

By Lizzy Davies / The Guardian

“As far as Monti is concerned, apart [from the fact] that I find him really unsympathetic as a character, I see his agenda as like an IMF-style set of policies that are not going to restore growth and will instead push more people into poverty. A couple of months ago I was feeling very optimistic, I felt like we had touched the bottom and the only way was up. I felt we didn’t need to worry about Berlusconi, ignore him and instead concentrate on what a good center-left government could look like and how to rebuild Italy. Now I don’t feel like that any more. I feel very much scared by a possible Berlusconi’s comeback and I feel like we don’t have much left that can be saved and on which the future can be built on. In fact, the future doesn’t figure much in parties’ plans, it is all about the past and about changing from the past, but what is the vision for Italy in 10, or 20 years? I cannot find that anywhere,” it reads.